


You're More Than Welcome

by MorganaNK



Category: Inspector Lynley - All Media Types, Inspector Lynley Mysteries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaNK/pseuds/MorganaNK
Summary: Tommy's past weighs heavily, but Barbara is by his side
Relationships: Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley, Helen Clyde/Thomas Lynley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	You're More Than Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> Property of Elizabeth George and the BBC, no copyright infringement intended

Tommy had disappeared not long after breakfast saying that he had a couple of errands to take care of. He had seemed rather quiet, but I didn’t want to force the issue, believing he would seek me out if he wanted to talk.

As I was loading the dishwasher I glanced out of the window and saw smoke drifting across the end of the garden. Wiping my hands, I headed out to see what was going on.

As I approached, I saw Tommy standing over the garden incinerator. I stood back and watched for a while, not wanting to interrupt.

“I know you’re there Barbara.”

I stepped a little closer. “I saw the smoke and I was concerned.”

“I’m saying goodbye to the past.”

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer me, so I moved to his side. It was then that I noticed he was holding a photo of Helen.

“Burning everything doesn’t remove her from your thoughts or your heart.”

He shrugged, “she hasn’t been in my heart for a very long time, probably not even when we were married.”

I reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “I know you’ve always believed that you didn’t love her properly, but I think you loved her the best that you could. She came back to you, something she didn’t have to do, not if she didn’t feel loved.”

“I wish she hadn’t come back.”

“Don’t do this to yourself Tommy. Nothing good can come out of it.”

“Nothing good came out of our relationship. I should have listened to her when she said she didn’t want to be with me. I wore her down, forced her into something that ended up killing her.”

“That’s not what happened.”

He raised his head, and I was struck by the anguish in his eyes.

“Don’t lie to me Barbara. One thing I’ve always counted on is you telling me the truth no matter how painful it is.”

“You’re sure want the truth?” He nodded. “Okay. Maybe you shouldn’t have got Helen involved in the case. Maybe you shouldn’t have spoken to Nina until Pavletic was far away from the station. Maybe you should have searched her rather than taking her word for it that she had disposed of the gun. The thing is you can’t change anything that happened. You can’t erase the past. All you can do is move on and give yourself time to heal.”

“So, you do think that everything is my fault.”

“No, I never said that. I prefixed everything I said as a maybe. Everything we do is a series of maybes or what ifs. Maybe I shouldn’t have stood between Dr Jellicoe and Grace Finnegan. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed Carly onto the marshes. Maybe I should have been honest with you and told you that I was suffering from PTSD on the Walthew case instead of putting your life and mine at risk.”

“That’s different.”

“It really isn’t. You didn’t press-gang Helen into anything. She could have said no quite easily but she didn’t. Look Tommy, we all have free will. If you feel that burning everything is going to make you feel better, then I’m not going to stop you. This is your choice, only you know if it’s going to help or if you’ll regret it later on. Be sure of your decision.”

I turned and headed back to the house.

About half an hour later Tommy reappeared.

“I’m sorry about what happened out there.”

“Apology accepted, even if it isn’t required.”

“No, it is required. Sometimes I drift a little off course, I’m lucky to have you to right me.”

“That’s always been the way for you and I.”

“Yes, it has, but don’t ever think that I take that, or you, for granted.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Did you make peace with your decision?”

“Yes. I got rid of everything, except for one photo.”

“What do you want to do with that?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Well, whatever you decide, you’ve got my support.”

“Thank you, for everything.”

“You’re more than welcome.”


End file.
